Steering-gear.



cJH. RICHARDSON.

STEERING GEAR.

APFLlCATiON FILED JULY I7, I914.

1 9 1 5 1 1 7., Patented Aug. 81, 1915.

IIH

lnvenTor! Charles H. Richardson WiTnesses.

CHARLES H. RICHARDSON, F GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFT0 HOSEA C. TUFTS, 0F GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

' STEERIENG-GPEAR.

mamas.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug; 31, 1915.

Application filed July 17 191%. Serial No. 851,567..

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES H. Rioria msoN,a citizen of the United States, residlng at Gloucester, county of Essex,State of Mas- I 'sachusetts, have invented an Improvement inSteering-Gear, of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on thedrawing representing like parts. This invention relates to steeringgears adapted for use in automobiles, motor boats,-

and similar vehicles, and has for its object to provide a steering gearwhich is simple in construction and can be inexpensively manufactured,which is sure in its operation and which is of such a construction thatany pressure applied to-the front wheels of the automobile will not betransmitted to the steering wheel, thus obviating any danger that thesteering Wheel will be wrenched from the hand of the operator by thewheels of the automobile passing over or running against an obstruction.

In order to' give a comprehensive understandingiof my invention, 1 haveillustrated in the drawings some selected embodiments thereof which willnow be described, after which the novel-features will be pointed out inthe appended claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a steering deviceembodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line wm, Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a section on the, line y-y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4: illustrates amodifiedform of the invention; Fig. '5. illustrates a modified form ofthe invention.

1 designates the steering shaft or post, to the upper end of which isattached the usual steering wheel. The lower end of the steering shaft 1extends into and is journaled in a frame 2 which can conveniently be inthe form of a box, said frame being provided with bearings'S and tinwhich the shaft is journaled. The portion 5 of the shaft 1 within thebox 2 is screw-threaded, as illustrated, and this portion cooperatesvwith a nut or cross-head 6 which is interiorly screwthreaded and whichextends transversely across the frame 2. The ends 7. of said nut engagethe opposite sides 8 of the box or frame 2, said sides 8 constitutingguides for the nut and cooperating with the ends 7 thereof to hold thenut in itspro-per position as it is moved by the screw-threaded portion5. The box or frame 2 is herein shown as provided with a removable cover9 so that by removing said-cover access can be had to the nut and thescrew 5.

lO'designatesa steering arm which is pivoted to the box or frame 2 andwhich is connected to the nut 6 so that as the nut is moved by the screw-the arm 10 will be swung about its pivot. It will ,bennderstood, ofcourse, that suitable connections lead from this arm'lO to the steeringrod of the automobile, or to the rudder of the boat,v

so that as the arm 10 is operated motion will be transmitted to theWheels or rudder as the case may be.

The connection between the nut 6 and the arm 10 may be provided for invarious ways. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the nut 6 is provided wlth a stud 11which extends through and operates in a slot 12 in the cover 9 and towhich is pivoted a link 120 that is also pivoted to a stud 13 extendingfrom the steering arm 10, which is pivoted on a stud 16 extending fromthe frame. If desired I may provide two links 120, one on each side ofthe frame 2. In Fig. 4 the steering arm 10 the frame 2 and is providedat its end with a'slot 19 in which the stud 11 extending from the nut 6operates.

In order to take up the thrust between the steering shaft 1 and the boxor frame 2 I propose to provide ball thrust bearings 17 and 18 situatedat either end of the box or frame. It will be noted that in bothembodiments of my invention the steering arm 10 is pivoted on a stud'extending from one side of the frame and is connected to the nut whichis operated within and is guided by the frame so that any advance of thenut 6 due to rotation of the steering shaftwill give movement to thesteering arm 10.

My device is further very simple in its construction and can be easilyand cheaply manufactured and it has a further advantage that it acts asalock to hold the wheels of'the vehicle in their correct position andprevents any movement of the wheels except that which is transmitted 'bythe steering limited to the constructional features shown.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another embodiment of my invention whereinthe steer ing arm 10 is L-shaped pivotally connected at its apex to thestud 11 extending from the nut 6, the member 51 of said steering armbeing provided with a slot 52 in which is received the stud 15 that isrigid with the casing 2.

1 claim:

In a steering gear, the combination with a hollow box or framerectangular in interior cross section and having opposed flat parallelsides and heads at its ends, of a steering shaft journaled in said headsand provided with a screw-threaded portion within the frame, a nutmounted on said screw-threaded portion and having flat faces to engageslidably the inner walls of said CHARLES H. RICHARDSON.

Witnesses: I

WILLIAM E. KERR, L. BELLE FARR.

